Power driven ribbon feed and reverse



Nov. 28, 1933. C. A FUCHS POWER DRIVEN RIBBON FEED AND REVERSE Filed F'eb. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 28, 1933.

C. A. FUCHS POWER DRIVEN RIBBON FEED AND REVERSE Filed Feb. 29, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Char/e5 ,4. Fac/z5.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1933 PATENT OFFICE POWER DRIVEN RIBBON FEED AND REVERSE Charles A. Fuchs, Hollis, N. Y., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Ralph C. Coxhead Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 29, 1932. Serial No.. 595,758

Claims. (Cl. 19T-165) This invention relates to improvements in typewriting machines and more particularly to ribbon feeding and reversing mechanism therefor.

The invention is herein illustrated as applied to a Varityper machine and is in the nature of an improvement over the mechanism illustrated in the patent application of Frank H. Trego, No.

436,969, led March 19, 1930, in which there is provided a drive shaft having a ratchet wheel thereon said shaft being effective to drive two ribbon spool shafts, one at a time, said drive shaft being rotatable by the keylevers through the medium of a pawl carried by a universal bar frame which is operable by any one of said keylevers. The reverse of the ribbon, which includes shifting of the drive shaft axially to change its connection with the ribbon spool shafts, is also effected by the key-levers through suitable mechanism.

An object of the present invention is to relieve thekey-levers of the work of feeding and reversing the ribbon to thus make the touch of the key-levers lighter to expedite the operation of the machine.

To this end provision is made whereby the ribbon may be fed and reversed by suitable power means which is under the control of: the keylevers to be released thereby at the actuation of any one of the key-levers.

In carrying out the invention, the feed pawl which co-operates with the ratchet wheel on the drive shaft is pivotally supported by the hammer of the printing instrumentalities, which hammer is normally held cocked against the action of a spring by which it operates the hammer upon the release of the latter which is effected by any one of the key-levers. The hammer. is returned by suitable power means, against the action of its operating spring, and it is during this return movement of the hammer by said power means that the pawl on said hammer functions to rotate the drive shaft to feed the ribbon.

Thus the key-levers are relieved of the work of feeding the ribbon and that of reversing it, which reversing is effected under certain conditions of the mechanism, during the rotation ofthe drive shaft, and this work is done by the power means.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings which form part of the speciflcation:

Fig. 1 is a4 sectional sideV view of themachine,

only so much of the machine being shown as is necessary to illustrate the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear view showing the carriage escapement mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional top plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, some of the parts being broken away.

Similar reference characters represent similar parts throughout the several views.

The machine includes a main frame 10, having a track 1l upon which a carriage 12 travels back and forth through the medium of anti-friction balls or rollers 13 engaged by a bar 14 of said carriage. The carriage 12 is guided atv the top by a bar 15 thereon with which cooperates one or more rollers l5 and a guard 17 supported on the main frame 10.

The carriage is urged in a letter space direction by the usual spring drum 18 connected to said carriage by a strap 19. Its letter space movements are controlled by escapement mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 20, which is operated at each actuation of any one of the Various key-levers 21.

The escapement mechanism 20 includes an escapement wheel -22 secured to a shaft 23 supported in the main frame 10. Supported on the shaft 23 is a pinion 24 forming part of a sleeve 25 connected with the escapement shaft 23, by a pawl 26 on said sleeve engaging a ratchet 27 se-f cured tothe shaft 23. A rack 28, supported on the carriage 12, engages the pinion to rotate the escapement shaft 23 in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2

The escapement wheel 22 is normally held, against rotation, by a loose dog 29 pivoted by a stud 30 on a frame 3l, said frame having an arm 32 engaging a stop 33 (Fig. 3). Upon the actuation of anyone of the key-levers a universal bar 34, associated therewith, is actuated about a fulcrum 34a. The universal bar has a rearwardly extending arm 35 which moves downwardly to engage an inwardly projecting ringer 36 of a dog rocker'l to swing the latter in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2, about a pivot stud 37a, thus swinging a fixed dog 38 into the path of an adjacent tooth of the escapernent Wheel 22.

The dog rocker is also provided with an arm 39 having a slot 40 therein into which extends a pin 41 from the loose dog 29 whereby the latter is swung out of engagement with the escapement wheel 22. A printing hammer 42, pivoted at 42a on the'main frame, is connected with the frame 31 by a stud 43 in the usual manner and consequently as soonas the loose-dog 29 is released from the escapement wheel, a spring 44 actuates the hammer about the pivot 42e to swing against a type shuttle 45 to print on a work sheet 46 supported between said hammer and said type shuttle.

Upon the return of the universal bar 34 to normal the dog rocker swings the loose dog 29 towards the escapement wheel and into the path of the next succeeding tooth. At the same time the fixed dog 38 moves out of engagement with the escapernent wheel thus permitting the latter to be rotated by the spring drum.

Auxiliary means, Fig. 3, which may be like that disclosed in U. S. Patent #1,656,466, isprorvided to assist in restoring the hammer 42 against the action of the power means or spring 44, so as not to overburden the spring drum 18.

Said auxiliary means includes an electric motor 48, suitably supported on the main frame 10, the shaft 49 of which is connected through a coupling 5D to a shaft 51 of a spring motor 52 in which energy is stored intermittently by the electric motor 48. The spring motor or power unit 52 includes a gear 54 meshing with and to drive a pinion 55, secured to the escapement wheel v22 to rotate the latter, and thus assist in returning the hammer 42 to normal.

Interposed between the work sheet 46 and the type shuttle 45 is a ribbon 56 which may be conducted from one spool 57 to another spool 58 or vice versa. Some of the ribbon feeding mechanism and some of the ribbon reversing mechanism may be like that disclosed in the patent application of Frank H. Trego, Serial No. 486,969, above referred to.

The ribbon feeding mechanism includes a horizontal drive shaft 60 to which are secured two bevel gears 61 and 62 to engage gears 53 and 64 respectively and drive vertical shafts 65 and 66, one at a time, the former in a clockwise direction and the latter in aV counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 3). The shafts 65 and 66 have suitably secured to their upper ends the ribbon spools 57 and 58 respectively. Thus it will be understood that while the ribbon spool shaft 65 is connected with the drive shaft 60 that the other ribbon spool shaft 66 is disconnected and consequently the ribbon winds up on the spool 57 and unwinds from the other spool. If the drive shaft 60 is shifted endwise, rightwardly in Fig. 8, the gear 6l disengages the gear 63 and the gear 62 is carried into engagement with the gear 64 thus reversing feed of the ribbon, orin other words, causing it to wind up on the spool 58 upon the rotation of the drive shaft 60.

The drive shaft has secured thereto a ratchet 67 which was heretofore acuated by means operable by the key-levers 21 thus throwing the burden of operation of the ribbon feed upon the operator. In the present invention provision is made whereby the operator is relieved of this work.

To this end the pawl 68 which engages the ratchet 67 to rotate it in a clockwise direction, Fig. 1, is pivotally supported on the hammer 42, by a stud 69 so that the drive shaft 60 and the connected ribbon spool shaft are actuated by the power unit or spring motor 52 while the hammer is being returned thereby. A spring 70 holds the pawl 68 in contact with the ratchet 67, said spring being coiled around a hub 71 of the pawl 68, one end of it pressing against said pawl, the other end engaging under the arm 72 of the hammer.

The reverse of the ribbon 56 is initiated by small button like devices 73 on the opposite ends of said ribbon so that as the ribbon is almost completely unwound from the spool the device 73 engages a guide portion 74 of an arm 75 to swing the latter against the action of a spring 76, the arm 75 forming the upper end of a vertical shaft 77 which is provided at its lower yend with an arm 78 to swing a pawl 79 about a fixed pivot 80, into co-operative relation with a ratchet wheel 81 on the drive shaft 60.

Upon rotation of the drive shaft 60, by the power means including the pawl 68, subsequent to the setting of the pawl 78 into comparative relation with the ratchet 81, the action of said ratchet 81 on the pawl 80 swings the latter further about its pivot thus causing shaft 66 to move axially and disengage the pinion 61 from its gear 63 and carry the pinion 62 into mesh with the gear 64 thus connecting the ribbon shaft 66 with the drive shaft 60 to wind the ribbon on the spool 58, the other spool 57 rotating freely-as the ribbon is drawn therefrom.V Y

Thus it will be understood that the ribbon feed is effected by the power means 52 and that the reverse of the ribbon, shifting of the drivershaft 66, is effected by the power means also thus making the touch of the key-levers considerably lighter than heretofore. Y

Having thus described the invention it is to be understood that it is not limited to the specinc form herein illustrated, there being variations thereof Which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claimzf i. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type carrier, key-leversV tovactuate said type carrier, a hammer to co-operate with said type carrier, means to hold said hammer cocked, means to release said hammer to print, power means to cock said hammer, ribbon feeding means, and means associated with said hammer to actuate the kribbon feeding means while it is being cocked. i

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing devices including a hammer, key-levers, means operable by said key-levers to release said hammer, a spring to operate -said hammer after its release, power means under the control of said key-levers to return said hammer, rib-V bon feeding means, and means operable bysaid hammer to actuate said ribbon feeding means.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing devices including a hammer, keylevers, means operable by said key-levers to release said hammer, a spring to operate saidhammer after its release, Y power means under the control of said key-levers to return said hammer, a ribbon drive shaft, ribbon spool shafts operable by said drive shaft, a ratchet on Vsaid drive shaft,Y

and a pawl supported by said hammer and engaging said ratchet to actuate said drive shaft while the hammer is being returned.

4. In a typewriting machine, the'combination of a type carrieig'key-levers to actuate said typeV carrier, a hammerto co-operate with said type carrier, means to hold said hammer cocked, means to release said hammer to print, power -means to cock said hammer, ribbon reversing means, means to set the ribbon reversing means, and means operable by said hammer to actuate the ribbon reversing means after it is set.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing devices including a hammer, key-levers, means operable by said key-levers to release said hammer, a spring to operate said hammer l after its release, power means under the control of said key-levers to return said hammer, ribbon reversing means controlled by the ribbon to set it, and `means operable by said power means through the medium of said hammer to actuate the settable means to reverse the ribbon.

En a typervriting machine, the combination oi printing devices including a hammer, key-1evers, means operable by said key-levers to release said hammer, a spring to operate said hammer after its release, power means under the control or" said key levers to return said hammer, a ribbon drive shaft, ribbon spool shafts operable by said drive shaft, a ratchet on said drive shaft, ribbon re fersing means settable by the ribbon, and a pawl operable by said hammer and engaging said ratchet to aeiuate said drive shaft to feed said ribbon and actuate the ribbon reversing means after it has been set.

7. in a typewri g machine, the combination of a carriage, Carriage propelling means, power means to assist the propelling means, ribbon feeding means, and means operable by said power means to actuate the ribbon 'feeding means.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a carriage, carriage propelling means, power means to assist the propelling means, ribbon reversing means settable by the ribbon, and means operable by the power means to aetuate the ribbon reversing means after it has been set.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a carriage, carriage propelling means escapement mechanism for said carriage, power means (3o-operating with the escapement mechanism to assist in feeding the carriage, ribbon feeding means, and means operable by the power means through the medium of the escapeinent mechanism lto actuate the ribbon feeding means.

10. In a typevvriting machine, the combination of a carriage, carriage propelling means, escapement mechanism for said carriage, power means co-operating With the escapement mechanism to assist in feeding the carriage, ribbon feeding means, ribbon reversing means settable by the ribbon, and means operable by said power means through the medium or the escapement mechanisms to actuate the ribbon feeding means and actuate the ribbon reversing means after it has been set.

CHARLES A. FUCHS. 

